Six candidates are standing in a by-election in Kemptown for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday 2 May.
The seat became vacant when Bharti Gajjar resigned. She was elected for Labour last May but expelled from the party in December. She then sat as an independent but resigned in March.
The six candidates are Robert Brown (Liberal Democrat), Gary Farmer (Brighton and Hove Independent), Jamie Gillespie (Independent), Theresa Mackey (Labour), Josephine O’Carroll (Conservative) and Ricky Perrin (Green).
Each candidate received questions about local issues submitted by the public and was asked why they wanted to represent the ward.
Below are the responses from Ricky Perrin, 45, a lived experience facilitator and sports disability trainer. He tweets as @rickyperrin.
Do you live in the ward and why do you want to represent Kemptown?
I live one street outside the ward boundary. The office I work at is in Kemptown ward as are my doctor’s surgery and pharmacy, both of which I have used for the last six years.
Every day I’m out on the Kemptown seafront with my dog, Barney. I’ve felt a very strong connection with Kemptown for the last eight years and believe I’d be a passionate voice on the council, representing everyone who lives here.
How were you selected to stand for election?
I was nominated by a selection committee of the Brighton and Hove Green Party which was elected by local party members
Kemptown ward is blighted by litter and graffiti. How will you support residents and tackle this?
I see the “broken window” theory in action in Kemptown every day – if you leave litter and graffiti, it attracts more, as well as anti-social behaviour. Fast reporting, fast response and clean-up are the ways to tackle this.
If a bin collection is missed, seagulls and foxes will spread that rubbish everywhere and it will soon become a major mess for Kemptown.
I will report missed collections and graffiti on behalf of residents.
I would like to see more resources put into catching people who spray tags. We’re a tourist city and, currently, Kemptown looks a mess to visitors.
What are your views on the return of glyphosate weedkiller? Will you volunteer to join the tidy up team?
I am very concerned about the return of toxic glyphosate for several reasons, including the risk of asthma in children, harmful effects on soil and the survival of insects and pollinators like wild bumblebees.
Our streets and pavements are worse than ever but Labour spending £250,000 on toxic chemicals after last year saying they would not use glyphosate in the manifesto will do more harm than good. We need a proper plan, not just an expensive sticking plaster.
If phase three of the Valley Gardens project increases congestion, what will you do on behalf of those affected including residents?
VG3 will not increase congestion in the long term. Residents will, however, need clear communications from the council with long advance notice periods so that we know when roads are closed or contraflow layouts are changed.
As ward councillor, I’ll do my best to obtain a direct link to the main contractors so I can create regular updates to share with the Kemptown community.
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Polling stations in Kemptown are due to open at 7am on Thursday 2 May and close at 10pm. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
One of the better candidates, in my opinion. Also someone who actively does something within the community to make it better, and did so before running for election.
Shame that he is running for Green though…
Good luck! You seem like a top bloke who deserves a chance.
I like Ricky but it worries me that he tropes out the old Green ‘VG3 will not cause congestion’ – the councils independently commissioned report says that the new traffic lights will increase journey times and congestion. Fed up with being gaslighted by local politicians who should look at the evidence not the ideaology.
There are already traffic lights all around the roundabout so beloved of VG3 opponents. Congestion is caused by too many cars and we need to design urban space to focus on people and communities, not traffic.
Do not forget how the Green Party neglected Brighton leaving it in a shocking state and we ate still recovering. Please do not let the Green Party in through the back door, remember why we threw them out in 2023.
The Green Party’s neglect of our city and damaging policies led to the current state of Kemptown. The Green Party needs to own up to the mess they created. Kemptown’s decline was on their watch (and Labour), other cities have managed not to turn into a filthy embarrassment despite the current economic climate. Do not trust the Green Party, they will further damage our Kemptown.